The Weekender, May 11-13: Moms and grads (and everyone else, too)

The second weekend of May is always a bit of a wild one. Almost inevitably, most college graduations end up happening the same weekend as Mother’s Day. Basically, if you’re going to take your mother out or celebrate a graduate this weekend, and you haven’t made your restaurant reservations already, you’re probably out of luck. You snooze, you lose!

Moms, grads and everyone in between have plenty of other good stuff to do this weekend in the Bangor, starting Friday night, where you can take your pick between Queen City Sound System spinning vinyl at Nocturnem Drafthaus, singer Stesha Cano at Black Bear Brewing, the Brad Hutchinson Project at Paddy Murphy’s, and the Ryan Carter Band at the Sea Dog. Up in Orono, rock band Phosphenes is at Woodman’s. On Saturday, Travis Cyr and the Strings of Calamity are at the Bangor Arts Exchange, jam band Fules Gold is at Paddy’s, the Dave Mello Band is at Nocturnem, the Jacob Smalley Band is at the Sea Dog, and comedian Gilbert Gottfried (yes, you read that right) is at the Downunder Club at Seasons. In Brewer, the Tough End String Band is at the Geaghan’s Tap Room.

Down in Portland, on Friday night there’s a night of local hip hop and r&b with Shane Reis, God.Damn.Chan, Kenya Hall and B.Aull at Portland House of Music, there’s a night of dubstep at Empire with Hatcha, Tsimba and Shweez, and there’s a night of indie rock with Pretty Sad, Cape Cannons and Darkwing at Bayside Bowl, and there’s a night of local metal with Dead Eyes Always Dreaming, Destination: Void and Dead Nite Out at Geno’s. There’s also the Rumours Rave, an electronic Fleetwood Mac dance party, at Port City Music Hall, and there’s Jonathan Davis (of KORN) and Palisades at Aura. On Saturday, the Dead Sessions are at Port City Music Hall, there’s local ska and punk with El Grande, the Outsiders and Iron City Preachers at Bayside Bowl, there’s songwriter Abbie Gardner at One Longfellow Square, and Green Jello, G-Wello, Loki and Cryptid are at Geno’s. On Sunday, funk band Model Airplane plays at Portland House of Music, and there’s more local metal with Come to Grief, Fistula, Cadaverette and Magnatar at Geno’s.

Film and theater junkies have plenty to pick from this weekend as well. On Friday night, the Maine Mayhem Film Festival is set for 8 p.m. at the Bangor Arts Exchange, featuring an array of short films made by Maine college students. Down on the coast, Dance Maineia, a showcase of Midcoast dance performances, is at Camden Opera House on both Friday and Saturday nights. There are two theater performances premiering this weekend: Midcoast Actors’ Studio’s production of the hilarious “Peter and the Starcatcher,” all weekend at the Crosby Center in Belfast, and the Marsh River Theater’s “Motherhood Out Loud,” a night of stories about motherhood, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at their theater space in Brooks. And don’t forget: it’s the last weekend of the Penobscot Theatre’s “The Spitfire Grill” at the Bangor Opera House.

Also, birds! I like birds. You probably like birds too, unless you don’t like them, in which case: stop reading now. Anyway, looking for birds in the wild is a great excuse to be outside. Saturday happens to be World Migratory Bird Day, so local conservation groups have lots planned. There’s a bird walk with naturalists from Bangor Last Trust beginning at 7 a.m. at Fields Pond Audubon Center in Holden. In Orland, there’s a bird walk (Ooh! Scarlet tanagers!) set for the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery, led by naturalist Cheri Domina, also starting at 7 a.m. A bit further afield, there are two bird walks (Ospreys are likely to be sighted) set for 7 and 10 a.m. at the Cobbosee Stream Conservation Area in Gardiner on Saturday, and in Falmouth, there’s a whole day of birding activities set for 7:30 a.m. to noon at the River Point Conservation Area in Falmouth.

About Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer and editor for Bangor Metro Magazine, the Weekly and the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine. Albums for review are accepted digitally only; please no CDs.
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Emily Burnham

Emily Burnham is a Maine native, UMaine graduate, proud Bangorian and a writer and editor for Bangor Metro Magazine, the Weekly and the Bangor Daily News, where she's worked since 2004. She reports on everything from local bands to local food to all the cool things going on in the Greater Bangor area. In her quest for stories, she's seen countless concerts and plays, been lobster fishing, interviewed celebrities, hung out with water buffalo and played in a ukulele orchestra. She's interested in everything that happens in Maine. Albums for review are accepted digitally only; please no CDs.